Slashdot Mirror
Drone Makers Add Geofencing To Keep Drones Out of Restricted Airspace (roboticstrends.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Two of the biggest drone manufacturers, DJI and 3D Robotics, are adding geofencing systems to their products to keep them out of restricted airspace. DJI's Geospatial Environment Online will be available on current versions of the Phantom, Inspire and Matrice drones, providing updated data on restricted flight zones due to regulation or safety concerns, including forest fires, major stadium events, VIP travel and other circumstances. GEO will also include restrictions around areas such as prisons, power plants and more. GEO, by default, will not allow DJI drones to fly in restricted areas. However, DJI is allowing its users to "temporarily unlock or self-authorize" flights in some locations. 3D Robotics will add the safety information software to its Solo smart drone app, containing basic information about federal guidelines (stay five miles from an airport, for example), national parks, airbases and more.
But we can maybe agree that it might be a good idea to not fly around like an idiot near airports?
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Where do I sign?
As an old RC pilot, I get fed up with this kind of people, too. Back when I was young (and the snow was THIS high, even in Summer...), there was no geofencing or anything like that. Oddly, we still didn't fly our planes near airports. Or near hazards. Or near populated land. Or anywhere where simple COMMON SENSE told you that it would be at the very least idiotic, to not use a stronger word, to fly your plane (or helicopter, or whatever) there.
Because people knew what consideration was. People THOUGHT before acting. And people most of all knew that actions have consequences.
But somehow that was lost in the past years somehow. Everyone's entitled to do whatever he pleases and as soon as (not if. Not even when) he fucks up, he blames everyone and their dog, the manufacturer of the gadget that got him into trouble and of course legislation for not protecting him from being a total moron.
Fuck them.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
You have as much right to use airspace as you have a right to a public road. You just have to follow the rules. The FFAs primary concern is to make sure the airspace is safe for everyone, so ya they can restrict its use.
You can fly a drone near an airport if you contact the tower first. Class C airspace typically goes to the ground near airport. The typical requirement for aircraft is you must be in 2 way communication with the tower.
I do believe that the requirement for commercial drone flight is a bit to harsh. You currently need to hold a private pilot certificate. The intent is if you're already a pilot they know you can read a chart and follow the rules. Additionally you need to file a section 333 exemption and wait 4 months to give you the same boiler plate exemption they are giving to everyone else. Really this is a temporary measure thats is probably going to take far too long. The exemption that they give comes with restrictions that pretty clearly spells out what they view the requirements should be.
On the other hand non commercial use is a bit too permissive. You should at least have to pass a simple training course, so you at least know what not to do.
If you contact the airport before flight you can fly in your back yard near and airport as a "hobbiest".
The problem is idiots flying their toys around forest fires wanting a good view of the flames. Nevermind that the helicopters trying to extinguish said flames can't maneuver around them.
Allow people to fly their drones in parks, but program an override that responds to an emergency reaponse vehicle's beacon to make way.
There's obviously ways that *this* system could also be abused, in theory. I'll let people smarter than I find another solution /happy medium, I guess.
Yup. Say thanks to those that didn't turn on their brain before turning on their drone and did not fly just inside their fence and at eye level. "There is no law against it, so I can do what I want".
Well. Now we got a law. I hope these idiots are happy now. The solution to those people not thinking for a moment and applying moderation where it would have been sane means that it's now being taken away from us.
Maybe if we did that to our kids again we, as a society, may instill that responsibility again. The older ones here may remember how it was when we were young. We got to play and the rules were, well, vague. But there were some "general" rules that we did have to consider, and at least my parents required me to use common sense when pondering whether something was or was not allowed. And "but you didn't say I can't do that" was not really a suitable excuse when I did something really stupid that I should have known better. And, in turn, if I could not play sensibly with something, it was taken away from me.
Pretty much what happens now. I guess if people fail to learn as kids, what they get as adults pretty much has to be a nanny state...
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.